Goree Backhoe & Excavating

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS AND DIVERSIFICATION HAVE LED TO SUCCESS FOR THIS NEBRASKA COMPANY

February 02, 2017

Komatsu wheel loaders are ‘bulletproof’

Diversification has been a key element to the
success of Goree Backhoe & Excavating, Inc.
since opening its doors in 1976. Today, the
Fremont, Nebraska, company handles a wide
array of projects, including site prep, demolition,
concrete work, trucking and crushing/recycling.
The company’s growth has been organic, and
this steady, natural progression helped it thrive
throughout the last 40 years.

“The diversification has been great for us,” said
Roger Goree. “If one area is slow, a different one
usually picks up the slack.”

A look back at the company’s history shows
that the diversification has been gradual. Gordon
Goree started the business in 1976 performing
underground utilities for a local plumbing firm.
Shortly after that, sons Roger and Greg joined the
small construction business. Roger was named
President in 1992 and directs the company’s
management with Greg playing a key role in
supervising the work crews. The company has
grown substantially by adding site-development
projects, trucking and concrete work, as well
as demolition, crushing and recycling services.
Today, the company has 24 employees and
performs jobs of all sizes in Fremont and the
surrounding areas.

“We’ve grown and added people, services
and machines as needed,” related Roger.
“Luckily, the Fremont area has been good to us,
and we don’t have to travel far. Our crew stays
busy and goes home every night.”

Although the company has the ability to do
a variety of jobs, delivering quality results and
building strong relationships with customers
is the reason it continues to keep them. Many
of the company’s relationships with clients are
long-lasting and result in repeat work.

The trucking side of the business also claims
a handful of customers for which they regularly
haul gravel, sand and aggregate. The firm
has standing contracts with several nearby
communities for snow removal as well.

Roger credits his crew with the ability to build
and maintain strong relationships.

“We have great employees who are
knowledgeable and take pride in their work,”
commented Roger. “They do things the right
way, and that reflects on the company.”

Making dollars and sense

In an effort to diversify, Goree added
crushing/recycling services in 2011. The new
venture has also helped the business become
more efficient.

“We were doing a lot of concrete removal and
road construction, and we were paying to dump
the old material and buying road base for our
projects,” recalled Roger. “We had a trucking
division, so we decided that it made sense to
start our own crushing operation.”

Roger turned to RoadBuilders Machinery
and Supply Co., Inc. and longtime District Sales
Manager Jeff Smith to purchase an entire crushing
and screening plant. Almost immediately, the
investment paid dividends. The company set
up a full crushing/recycling operation at its
Fremont facility and began taking in concrete and
asphalt to crush into road base and other material
as needed. In addition to saving money, it also
became a revenue stream.

“Nearly half of the material that comes in is
from our work, and we also use roughly half of
the material we produce,” explained Roger. “The
rest comes from outside businesses. We gladly
accept concrete and asphalt from local companies,
and if someone needs material, we’re more than
happy to provide it to them.

“The decision certainly paid off for us,” he
continued. “We save money on our demo and
concrete projects, and our truck drivers are
consistently busy. The crushing/recycling has
helped the divisions work together and become
more efficient.”

Roger estimates that the new crushing/
recycling operation, which typically only runs
when stockpiles get too large or material is
needed, can process nearly 200 tons of material
an hour and produce up to 1,500 tons of
material in a day.

On one job in particular, the crushing/recycling
side was in full force. The company was contracted
to demolish a 20,000-square-foot building before
a new expansion took place. It tore down the
building, hauled the material to its facility, crushed
it, and used the recycled material to develop the
site for the new building.

“It’s a great example of all our components
coming together,” proclaimed Roger. “We used
our demo, trucking, crushing, recycling and
site-development aspects all on one job.”

Long relationship

Roger’s decision to turn to Smith and
RoadBuilders for crushing/recycling equipment
was an easy one. For more than 20 years, Roger
has called on Smith for parts and service. It’s an
association that Roger values.

“I can call Jeff, and he knows exactly what
I want,” said Roger. “We’ve had a long
relationship. I see him and RoadBuilders as
extensions of our company.”

To say that the connection has a family feel to
it is accurate. Jeff’s sister, Barb Shelton, is Roger’s
secretary. “If I can’t get ahold of Jeff, I can just
have Barb call him,” joked Roger. “She’s supposed
to keep salesmen out, but somehow, Jeff keeps
coming in.”

Roger and Jeff collaborated on the purchase of
several Komatsu machines throughout the years.
Currently, Goree Backhoe & Excavating has
six Komatsu wheel loaders (two WA250s, two
WA320s, a WA450 and a WA470) in its fleet.

“We use the machines for loading trucks and
moving material on site,” explained Roger.
“The WA320 usually moves to jobsites, and
the WA470 is at our facility and is paired with
the crusher.

The company also has a Komatsu PC210LC
excavator, which it uses on dirt projects.

“The PC210 is awesome,” said Roger. “It has
great power and handling, and it’s versatile –
we can do a variety of jobs with it.”

The company also relies on RoadBuilders for
service, including Komatsu CARE, Komatsu’s
complimentary service program for the first
2,000 hours or three years of the machine’s life,
on its newer Tier 4 loaders and PC210 excavator.

“RoadBuilders is a first-class organization,
and everyone who comes to service our
machines is professional and knowledgeable,”
said Roger. “Jeff and our Product Support
Representative Donnie Willmer are great guys
who care about my company.”

Roger also turns to Jeff and RoadBuilders for
used equipment, including three road graders,
an NPK breaker, an Ingersoll-Rand/Volvo dirt
compactor and an Ingersoll-Rand/Volvo SD100D
84-inch roller.

Looking ahead

For 40 years, Goree Backhoe & Excavating has
experienced steady growth and diversification.
Going forward, Roger sees his business
continuing in much the same way.

“We have a good fit in the area market,” he
said. “And we strive to excel in what we do. We
want to continue being a leader in the industry
we serve.”